New Site!

Hey, a big round of applause for Sarah Kesler, the founder and keeper of this blog site! I love the new look! And hope that you all enjoy the new picture of our family, taken just this past Sunday in the FREEZING cold!! You'd never know but it was about -27 with the wind chill factor! At least it was sunny!

I'm heading down to Vancouver (Abbotsford) tomorrow with Christopher and Corinne, and will be having some tests early next week. The surgery is on as scheduled, Dec. 3rd. I'm really looking forward to next week! And I'll update this as soon as I can regarding the results of the surgery.

Another bit of exciting news - Aaron got a job! And it is a job that he can remain seated when he needs to be!! He is a computer tech for a local company called CMO. He started this week Monday, and so far loves it! So PTL for that!!

More soon!

The Next Date:

FINALLY! I have a date for my eye surgery! Dec. 3rd I will be going back to VGH one more time, hopefully for the last time, to have the surgery that we trust will repair my double vision. I have never been so happy to have a surgery date!! All is confirmed with all parties involved, so there should be no delays or set backs. That being said, I know that God has all things under control, and if there is anything that needs to be rearranged, I know He'll make it happen in His time! But I believe that this will work, and there will be no delays, and there will be restored vision! My Lord has worked so many miracles already, and this will be one more that will happen through the capable hands of the doctors!

Here at the home front everyone is settling down into the daily schedules again, and the honeymooners are home and settling into married life. What a joy to have them over for dinners or whatever, and to see their love for each other growing! And to have 'my girls' around is wonderful! They were worth waiting for!!

Aaron continues in his studies for computer tech, Ben has done his official training for his position on the special investigations team, and I am back to the gym and other therapy. The biggest help for me recently has been the introduction to the Prince George Brain Injured Group (PG BIG). I have learned SO MUCH from these weekly meetings, and has given me insight as to why I do what I do (or don't do!). Next week there will be a conference held in Vancouver for the Pacific Coast Brain Injury groups, and it will be transmitted via satellite to Prince George. I'm very excited to be able to take part in this conference, and look forward to learning more about brain injury and the coping skills we will all need to learn to develop.

I have to apologize for not writing that often any more, but I want to see this through till the 2 year anniversary. So thank you to those of you who are still following this and praying for us. I'll say it (at least!) one more time - we couldn't have made it without your support, love, and prayers! Hang in there, and I'll try to post at least once a month! It's on my "to do" list....now if I could only find it.....

Wedding #2 - also beautiful!!

Our Thanksgiving weekend was somewhat different this year, but what a way to give thanks! Christopher and Corinne's wedding was a beautiful testimony of God's faithfulness and grace, and it gave honour and glory to their Saviour! What a joy to witness their vows and share this precious moment with them.

We hosted the rehearsal dinner on Friday, a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings! It was a challenge, but thanks to all the help from my family and friends, it was a wonderful evening. Then Saturday was, of course, the wedding day. Sunday we shared with family and friends again, but this time with Chinese food and a good movie to laugh at! And today has just been a lovely day of relaxing! The kids made it safely to their honeymoon destination, my family has gone home, so it's quiet in the house, but that's okay. There's lots to be done, but it will have to wait! Now and then I still need to watch how far I push things, and today was a good day to just take it easy!

Tomorrow I am going back to Vancouver to GF Strong for a follow up appointment with the doctor and physiotherapist. I'm looking forward to their evaluation of where I am at now, and where we go from here. It feels like this is almost the start of a new year, a new phase of settling in. The weddings are over, and now we all need to learn to live in our new normal again. I know I need to start developing a better routine, and get back to working on my endurance and stamina. I'd also like to get back to my music history course, so much is to be done.

Onward and upward!

Wedding Countdown...#2!

I can't even begin to explain how wonderful the past few months have been! And now we have the joy of seeing Christopher and Corinne join their lives together as man and wife this coming Saturday! We have been helping out in Christopher's house to get it ready for Corinne to move into. He has totally redone all the kitchen cabinets, the floor, one bedroom and built a bed! It's been wonderful to see the two of them working together on this project in such harmony. We also had the privilege of celebrating Chris' birthday with his future in-laws and their whole family. They are a generous, loving bunch!! I'm so thankful for all the blessings that we are experiencing - forgive me if I sound like a broken record, but I just feel so overwhelmed by all the goodness around us at this time!

One interesting side note: today I visited the office of the Prince George Brain Injured Group (PG BIG) and will be attending sessions there to learn coping mechanisms for the problems that I am now encountering. As wonderful as it is to have most of my physical abilities back, enough to do the basic things I need at least, there are times that both Ben and I have noticed that I don't always process things correctly. I often find myself not managing my time well, or my perception of how much time/effort I need to do something is unrealistic. There are a few other things that we have noticed as well, and that is why I am seeking help for that. What I found out in my initial interview was very enlightening! There are many other things which I thought were unrelated, or 'had written off' as a result of the nerve damage or bad habits developing, that are actually caused by the brain injury!  So that was good! I am looking forward to learning much more!

This week is going to be wonderful, I know, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with family and friends. I'm not sure what I'll do when this is all over, but I'm sure I'll think of something! Oh, I almost forgot...I recently spoke to the office of the doctor who will be doing my eye surgery, and they hope to have a date for the surgery before Christmas! That is such an answer to prayer!!

So keep checking back - I'll post more pictures as soon as I can! Hope your week is as wonderful as mine will be!!

Surgery is done!

PTL everything went very well! I am done with the abdominal surgery (aka tummy tuck!) for the repair of the scar on my stomach from the accident last year. I am SO incredibly thankful for how well it all went and that I had no nausea coming out of the surgery! There is some discomfort (read: it hurts something awful to cough!) but for the most part, I feel really good! So for the next couple of weeks, I'll be trying to hold things down to a dull roar before we have another wedding! It's coming up so fast! Christopher and Corinne will be married October 9th, and we can hardly wait for wedding number 2 this year! Jason and Dani are settling down to happily married life, and C & C will soon be there! Aaron is working hard at his studies in computer technician training, and Ben is currently in Ottawa for a training course for his new position. Change seems to be the constant denominator for us this year! But it's all so good, and we just have to be thankful that we are here to experience these changes!

I am staying with my sister for these weeks of recuperation, and I'd just like to say another MAJOR Thank You to my whole family, immediate and extended, for their love, care, and support for all of us, but especially me. There is no way that we could be where we are without you!

I wish I had some major spiritual wisdom to share with you but right now my heart is just thankful! So please join me in being incredibly thankful for all the joys we are allowed to experience every day, even when they hurt! God is good...all the time!

It was beautiful!

What an amazing day! The weather was good, the haze from the forest fires wasn't too bad, and everyone looked fantastic! But most importantly, it was a day that was all it should have been - two people who love the Lord committing themselves to each other forever! What a blessing!! God has brought us through so much, and we are so thankful for that. We look forward to where He will lead us next!

Now to get through the surgery...! Then another wedding...!! So much to look forward to!!!

Excitement is building!...

As the days get closer (only 5 sleeps left!) to the big day, there is more and more excitement around here! Today was also Dani's birthday, and we celebrated with her family and ours together. We are so looking forward to many more such occasions!

Updates on the surgery - it is rescheduled for Sept. 15th, and I will be going down to Vancouver with Ben on the 12th. He will be continuing on to Ottawa to take a course, and I will stay with my mom and sister until he returns on the 26th. My mom is having a couple's shower for Christopher and Corinne on the 25th, so we'll be able to be there for that as well. Looking forward to having that done with!! (the surgery, that is!)

I want to be poetic or philosophical in this post in some way, but really, all I can be is me. I'm ridiculously excited about the upcoming weddings, and about my daughters-to-be! I'm so thankful that I am still here to be a part of this! And I'm so thankful for the myriad of blessings that we are a part of! My only prayer is that my strength will hold up. I'm noticing more and more that I really am not able to hold up under pressure like I used to be able to do! And that I don't do well in crowds of people! Hmm. That poses some issues for celebrations like this! I know that I'll get through it all, just may need a "time out" here and there!

I'll post pictures as soon as I can - keep the kids (Jason and Dani) in your prayers as they commit themselves to each other before God and family. I know they are going to have a beautiful day!!